Pender, please forgive my clunky answer. Let me try again. In classical political thought, for democracy to function properly, there has to be both the rule of the majority and the protection of the rights of the minority. The Constitution, in conjunction with the Bill of Rights was specifically designed with such ideals in mind. Many in the North felt that the the will of the majority in the Union states (and thus the Constitution and democracy itself) was being subverted by the Southern secession. After all, if the minority don't want to play by the rules when they are outvoted, then the whole idea of democracy breaks down. On the other hand, Southerners had the opposite problem. They felt that the Northern states planned to suppress the rights of the minority and thus made the decision to secede in order to protect those minority rights. See how both sides were fighting for the opposite sides of democracy? I hope that helps, and I appreciate the questions. It gives me the opportunity to think about and sharpen my argument.